Empowering brands to transform to a digital-first culture

by Richenda VermeulenJuly 7, 2016

At ntegrity we’re passionate about two things: people and great digital. And we’ve found that in every single company the two go hand-in-hand. You simply can’t have effective digital without the right people driving these tools. Our founder, Richenda, shares what digital transformation really means and why ntegrity’s approach is different. This article was originally published on.

What does digital transformation mean to ntegrity?

Depending on who you ask, digital transformation can mean something entirely different. I once heard from a CEO of a $50 million+ company that to transform means firing all your staff, while others talk about investing in cutting-edge technology, or starting a new transformation team to lead the charge.

But from my experience working with over 100 clients in countless sectors, real transformation – transformation that works – is none of these things. Real digital transformation exists at the intersection of people and technology. It’s investing in the right tools but investing even more in the people who will use them and the culture surrounding them. A business where all these things are working in harmony is a business that has done digital transformation well. They’re more agile, and growth comes naturally.

Why do businesses need digital transformation?

In short, customers are demanding more. They have more information at their fingertips than ever before, and more ways to seek this information than ever before. If an online experience isn’t up to their standards, they’ll quickly switch to a better option.

The solution should be simple: give your users an experience that not only meets their needs but engages, delights and makes them want to tell other people about it.

The reality is far different. Brands struggle to provide even adequate digital experiences, caught up in their own procedures and bureaucracy and the desire to focus on what they want to say rather than what users want to hear.

The simple fact is that business must transform to keep up. Otherwise more and more Australians will go overseas to get the service they want, leaving floundering Aussie businesses behind.

What are the risks for Australian businesses?

Australia has one of the most digitally-savvy populations in the world: mobile saturation is far above other countries, and we’ve actually become the go-to nation for international businesses looking to launch their products to a test market. But, a huge 40% of all customers were unsatisfied with their digital experience in 2016, according to SAP’s first Australian Digital Experience Report. Clearly, we expect more but businesses aren’t keeping up.

What is the biggest threat for clients seeking digital transformation?

The biggest challenges for businesses wanting to become digital first come down to a lack of understanding. This culminates in two ways: either businesses lack the skills or are simply resistant to change because they don’t understand it.

There is a significant digital knowledge gap in Australia (both Adobe and the Director of LinkedIn Australia have attested to this fact). Almost half of all marketers say they don’t feel proficient in digital, universities are lagging behind when it comes to teaching digital knowledge, and business are floundering without adequate digital skills.

If this is the challenge, then bold leadership is the solution. Digital-first leaders are hands on: they understand both the technology and their staff, and are willing to work alongside them. Without strong leadership, transformation is likely to fall flat or be limited to smaller sections of the organisation.

How is ntegrity’s approach to helping clients with digital transformation unique?

ntegrity is unique because we sit at that intersection – the sweet spot – where digital strategy and cultural transformation collide. Unlike most agencies, we don’t keep our clients in the dark and make them dependent on us. We are expert strategists and implementers, but we want to pass our knowledge on to our clients to make them experts too. All our work is transparent, easy to understand and led by data – not by our own assumptions.

How does ntegrity help clients shift to a digital-first culture?

Although many organisations are trying to do digital transformation, it’s often occurring in the absence of structure or a roadmap. Organisations come to us at different stages of their digital maturity. Some come to us with specific problems; others know something isn’t right, but can’t define it. And some organisations are already on their path to transformation but want our help to take it to the next level.

We take our clients along a data-led path to transformation, starting with evaluation to understand their current conditions, before moving onto a strategy that will help them to effectively and sustainably achieve their goals.

Next, we help share the vision with the whole organisation and equip them with the right tools, skills, resources and a roadmap to guide success. Then they’re ready to scale; to test, learn, optimise and continue.

While we have a framework that help us build a transformation road map for our clients, there is no cookie-cutter approach to digital transformation, and we take care to choose a solution that will be effective and sustainable for each business we work with. Want to chat? Just send me an email!

About Us

Hi, we’re ntegrity, an award winning digital agency in Melbourne, Australia. We specialise in digital strategy, digital marketing, and training, and aim to operate as an extension of your team.